The Press, Christchurch

The Dellburgoes Raw Star Guitars ****

Push play and take a road trip to the days of old. Struggling from the bar, spilling your jug on the loud-checked carpet, you swirl through the purple plumes of second-hand smoke to shake your tail feather on the dancefloor. It's the start of The Dellburgoes set! They're a West Coast six-piece pub band led by Rex Bourke, on vocals and guitars, who also fronted The Strange Loves with their student radio hit Turn Your Lights On in the early '90s. These boys are old school with a simple menu of rock'n'roll through the ages: '50s rockabilly, '60s surf, '70s garage. The emphasis is on dirty-sweet wailing guitars, peaking in All Afro and Blue Blue Eyes and Crossover, which both sound reminiscent of the The Wedding Present. The band has been in fine company playing gigs with the likes of Paul Kelly, Dead Moon and the Datsuns. Score the album and hit the road.

Kirk Hargreaves